Porsche Macan T 2023 Review

How much does the Porsche Macan T cost?

Porsche’s second-ever SUV after the larger Cayenne – and it’s top-selling vehicle in Australia and globally by far – the Macan continues to change perceptions of what’s possible with the now-ubiquitous high-riding wagons.

It’s widely accepted that the Macan is one of the world’s most entertaining SUVs, providing the sort of driver involvement once thought impossible with these high-riding wagons and the Macan T will be an intriguing proposition for buyers shopping around in this exulted SUV sphere.

Priced at $92,700, just $3400 more than the cheapest Macan available in Australia, you get more than your money’s worth here with a considerable amount of extra equipment and a more satisfying drive experience.

While you may not get the bragging rights or sonorous engine note of a six-cylinder engine (you’ll pay $112,400 for that privilege via the Macan S) it comes with a fairly fiery 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol engine that pumps out 195kW and 400Nm.

Rivals? There’s a handful of Germans including mid-spec versions of the Audi Q5, BMW X3, Mercedes GLC and you could probably throw in the Alfa Romeo Stelvio as well, but none of them have the dynamic clout and badge cachet of the Porsche.

What equipment comes with the Porsche Macan T?

Porsche has packed a reasonable level of standard equipment into the Macan T, including eye-catching dark-titanium 20-inch ‘Macan S’ alloy wheels, black exhaust pipes and black window lines that give it loads of road presence, moving or parked.

A powered tailgate, monochromatic (automatically dimming) mirrors inside and out, auto wipers and light-sensing dynamic LED headlights with cornering and range control are in there, plus an interior lighting package that brings ambient LED lights to the door panels.

The interior is an appealing blend of sportiness and luxury thanks to the heated leather ‘GT’ steering wheel (complete with drive mode selector dial) that pairs nicely with power-adjustable and heated black leather-accented front sports seats.

Eagle-eyed readers might also note the little lap-timer/stop watch that sits atop the dash, denoting the fitment of the Sports Chrono package which adds launch control and a number of other features which are listed in the powertrain section of this review.

The Macan T also nabs the suspension system from the Macan GTS, which adds adaptive shock absorbers and makes it a little firmer and sportier and drops the ride height by 15mm, which we’ll touch on the drive section of the review.

The German SUV is fitted with tri-zone automatic climate control with air quality and humidity sensors and a pollen filter but misses out on things like a wireless phone charger. Storage solutions include a glovebox, twin cupholders and a central stowage bin, but the latter is tiny and overall incidental storage is poor.

An eight-speaker stereo system with a 150W output delivers excellent audio clarity and depth and hooks up to the 10.9-inch central touch-screen but there’s no Android Auto and Apple CarPlay is wired only, not wireless.

Standard colours are black and white and our orange SUV – or Papaya metallic in Porsche-speak – adds $1800 to the price, as do six other metallic paint colours. There’s also two special colours, Carmine Red and Crayon matte ($4480) or you can go completely troppo and choose a custom colour ($16,640).

The optional extras list is absolutely massive and you can spend a fortune here, with things like personalised leather air vents ($2900), colour coded seatbelts ($830) and adaptive air suspension ($2790) to name a few. There are more pragmatic options such as cooled seats ($1710), a towbar ($1660) and a panoramic glass roof ($3110) on offer.

Porsche’s three-year/unlimited kilometre warranty is far less generous than most of its German rivals, such as the five years Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz provide. Service intervals are 12-months/15,000km which is standard, and services are priced from $695 per visit, rising to $1750 for a major service.

How safe is the Porsche Macan T?

The Porsche Macan has a five-star Euro NCAP rating but that was awarded back in 2014 and the regulations were far less stringent. It’s not clear if the new model would get a five-star safety rating if tested today but it does have a reasonable safety suite, including eight airbags fitted as standard, stability and traction controls, adaptive cruise control and lane change assist. If you want active lane-keep assistance you’ll have to pay $1100.

Automatically dipping mirrors help avoid kissing kerbs when reversing, while surround view and rear-facing cameras are welcome additions as well. Adaptive LED headlights deliver excellent night-time illumination.

What technology does the Porsche Macan T feature?

The Porsche Macan is no spring chicken, its tyres first touching the road in 2014, but it still has a sufficient level of tech, headlined by a 10.9-inch central touch-screen with sharp, high-resolution visuals.

The infotainment system takes a bit of time to master and the menu system isn’t the most intuitive we’ve tested. Compared to the new interior concept being introduced in the latest-generation SUVs like the 2023 Cayenne, the cabin design feels a tad lacklustre.

It features analogue speedo and rev counters joined by a small 4.8-inch digital driver’s display and is missing road sign recognition tech and a head-up display. Everything works well but there is certainly a sense that it’s not the newest kid on the block.

What powers the Porsche Macan T?

The beating heart of the Porsche Macan T is the same 2.0-litre turbocharged inline four-cylinder petrol engine fitted to the entry-level Macan, generating 195kW of power at 6500rpm and 400Nm at 1800rpm – which is sustained across a torque-laden plateau until 4500rpm.

The turbocharged engine is a version of the Volkswagen Group’s ubiquitous 2.0-litre engine made famous by VW Golf GTI and while it doesn’t sound especially grunty it is mounted longitudinally not transversely.

It’s a surprisingly resolute powertrain in this configuration with impressive low- and mid-range stomp that supplies the circa-1800kg Porsche SUV with impressive mid-gear roll-on acceleration.

But unlike the garden-variety Macan, it comes with a Sports Chrono package, adding things like launch control and a drive mode selector dial on the steering wheel including a sport response button, which sharpens engine and gearbox reactions for a short period of time. Kind of like a boost button, and we found ourselves using it a lot during the traffic light tango.

Power finds its way to all four wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission (PDK to use Porsche talk) and the 0-100km/h acceleration sprint is claimed at 6.2 seconds thanks to the launch control system. It’s not amazingly accelerative off the line but certainly can’t be accused of being lethargic – particularly with a 232km/h top speed.

How fuel efficient is the Porsche Macan T?

Porsche reckons the Macan will slurp fuel at a rate of 9.5L/100km on average and while we didn’t get into single digits, our 11.1L/100km over a week of driving wasn’t too shabby given the shellacking the plucky little German copped. With a softer right foot, the claimed fuel consumption would be eminently achievable.

What is the Porsche Macan T like do drive?

Some might say a Porsche SUV is sacrilege, a blemish on the German sports car brand’s high-performance report card, a vehicle that will never have the heart and soul of a genuine Porker.

That may be true to a point, but you know what? The Macan is arguably one of the most engaging and spirited SUVs you can drive today – and not just on challenging roads peppered with chicanes and switchbacks.

The direct steering, responsive engine and taut chassis make it a decisive urban navigator and even with big 20-inch alloy wheels it can still be a remarkably pleasant vehicle to drive thanks to the fitment of the adaptive dampers and cleverly tuned suspension.

The sportier suspension setup donated by the Porsche Macan GTS lowers the car by 15mm and adds stiffer anti-roll bars, which does firm things up more than the base model but it’s still got good bump absorption and you won’t have to tense up every time you encounter a pot hole or ragged gouge in the road surface.

When push comes to shove and you find some fun roads, oh my word, it doesn’t feel like an SUV – more like an oversized hot hatch with a jacked-up seating position. This is without doubt one of the most engaging SUVs money can buy, allowing you to have your SUV and your sports car all in one package.

The steering wheel feels great – nice and small, 911-style – and delivers meaningful feedback when tracking through faster corners. The way the front end bites into corners and grips up is tremendous (for an SUV), the wider 265/45 front and rear 295/40 tyres blending with the sharper suspension to generate assertive traction.

Compared to the V6-powered Macan S and Macan GTS, this four-cylinder hottie has almost 60kg less mass hanging over the front axle which adds to its cornering confidence. Sure, it won’t blast out of corners with quite as much aggro as the V6 but the four-pot engine is no sloth thanks to the seven-speed transmission which keeps it on the boil and delivers ultra-rapid shifts when requested.

The AWD and traction management systems have also been modified to deliver more power to the rear axle and allow for greater wheel ‘slip’ (a polite term for skids) than the basic Macan.

Braking performance is very good, the 350mm steel discs up front and 330mm rear anchors hauling in the SUV with surprising venom and with no discernible fade or degradation during a 90-minute scorch session along twisting and turning coastal cliffs.

Perhaps the only criticism of the way the Macan drives is the auto hold braking system, which was sporadic to engage. It’s supposed to engage with a single quick pump on the brakes when the car is stationary but sometimes required three brake pedal pumps before it engaged, and a couple of times didn’t engage at all, making its usefulness questionable at the best of times.

What is the Porsche Macan like inside?

Despite getting on in years the Porsche Macan is still a rather salubrious place to spend time, the major touchpoints such as the seats and steering wheel ensuring front occupants experience a pleasant blend of luxury and sportiness.

While there’s plenty of room for front seat occupants and most of the mod cons you could want – except for Android Auto, road sign recognition and a wireless phone charger – the overall look and feel is getting a bit dated. Not even its three facelifts can help here, with the instrument cluster featuring only one small digital display and the gear shifter looking and feeling archaic.

The touch-sensitive control panel on either side of gear lever is one of the highlights of the cockpit design, together with the large central touch-screen, but overall the cabin doesn’t have the contemporary look and feel of its rivals.

Back seat space isn’t especially generous but two regular-sized adults will be able to comfortably wile away longer drives with climate control, air vents, twin USB-C ports and a fold out arm rest with cupholders fitted. You can fit three in the back but it’ll be squeezy.

A power-operated tailgate conceals a useful 458 litres of boot space which isn’t bad for a high-performance mid-size SUV and is enough to swallow three large suitcases. Fold the rear seats down and you get roughly triple the space at 1503 litres.

Should I buy a Porsche Macan T?

The Porsche Macan T is a delightfully agile SUV and one of the more involving vehicles in its class, if not the league leader in this respect. Despite its high-performance thresholds and marvellous driving dexterity it will still seat four adults in relative comfort and carry most of their luggage.

The value equation is very appealing, too, given it costs around $20,000 less than the most affordable V6 Macan and looks almost as tough, yet is only $3400 more than the base-grade Macan – and gets way more gear than a few grand buys in optional extras.

Unless you really, really want a V6 Porsche Macan, this model-grade should be your first stop in your hunt for a Macan and represents good bang for your buck at under $100K for a Porsche.

Buy it for the badge, drive it for the thrill.

2023 Porsche Macan T at a glance:
Price: $92,700 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 195kW/400Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 9.5L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 217g/km (ADR Combined or WLTP if overseas model)
Safety rating: Not rated

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